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China has accused Australia of maintaining a “Cold War mentality” with its alliance with the United States, following the release of the Turnbull government’s defence white paper which criticised China’s role in rising tensions in the South China Sea. At a regular press briefing in Beijing, Defence Ministry spokesman Colonel Wu Qian said China was “seriously concerned” about the contents in the white paper, and ...

The clash of two of Sydney’s favourite race mares was as emotionally contrasting as the three lengths margin between them as First Seal swept home over the top of her rivals to win the Group 2 Millie Fox Stakes (1300m). The ghostly grey Catkins was conspicuous trailing the six-horse field to the line — a rare failure for a mare ...

Three women are dead, and another two people are seriously injured after a police chase in Sydney’s west. Police began pursuing a car in Marayong about 1.10am on Saturday morning when it failed to stop for random breath testing as it travelled along Railway Road. The white Holden Commodore crashed moments after the chase began. “There was no breaking noise or squealing ...

The recent death in Cairo of Italian graduate student Giulio Regeni has triggered fresh concerns about Egypt’s human rights situation, five years after mass protests forced President Hosni Mubarak from power. Mr Regeni, who was in Egypt to conduct research on trade unions and labour rights, disappeared on 25 January – the fifth anniversary of the start of the protests. ...

The FFA has announced a new set of procedures to cover cases where fans are banned for bad behaviour, including an appeals process against such bans. The move follows a series of incidents at A-League matches, and controversy over the lack of an existing appeals process to cover the 198 fans currently banned by the league. Under the new procedure, ...

Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has unveiled plans to change negative gearing rules for property purchases, in a move touted to “put the great Australian dream back within reach for the middle and working class”. With just months to go until a federal election is called, Mr Shorten used his speech to the NSW ALP conference to rally the party ...

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has vowed to recapture the whole of Syria and keep “fighting terrorism” while also negotiating an end to the war, as international pressure mounts for a ceasefire. His defiant stance, in an interview with the Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency, doused hopes of an imminent halt to hostilities, which world powers are pushing to take effect ...

An emergency meeting that may determine the future of thousands of students at Australia’s largest Islamic school will be held early next week. Earlier this week, the Federal Government said it would axe funding to the Malek Fahd Islamic school in Greenacre in Sydney’s south west, saying it failed to address concerns about how $19 million in federal money ...

President of the NSW Labor Party Mark Lennon has urged delegates gathered for its annual state conference to endorse the adoption of a code of conduct in order to clean up the party’s culture of bullying and harassment. More than 800 delegates have filled Sydney’s Town Hall to wrangle over party policy, campaign strategy and party reform. The delegates will ...

At Beijing’s main train station, the snack sellers are doing brisk business. As thousands of people stream past them each hour, packs of bottled water, instant noodles and preserved duck meat are flying off the shelves. The scene is a far cry from the chaos that gripped commuters outside the main train station in Guangzhou, 2,000 kilometres to the south, ...